OBDK

Every good food web has a “not on the menu” list.Picture a barn owl floating over a summer field after sunset.

Mice and voles are moving through the grass. Crickets are calling. The owl is hungry.
But it is not looking for watermelon. It is not looking for sunflower seeds. It is not swooping down for corn, berries, hot dogs, or picnic crumbs.

That sounds obvious… until students ask the best science question: How do we know what a barn owl would not eat?

This lesson turns owl pellets into a reverse food-web mystery. Students sort evidence into:

• Barn Owl Ate This
• Barn Owl Would Usually Not Eat This
• Need More Evidence

They learn one of the most important ideas in wildlife science: Nearby is not the same as eaten.

Read the full blog:
https://obdk.com/blogs/obdk-blog/barn-owl-menu-mysteries-what-wouldnt-a-barn-owl-eat

Explore the OBDK Owl Pellet Activity:
https://obdk.com/collections/owl-pellets/products/medium-1-pack-activity

Before campers learn the trail map, they should learn the bear map.

A hiking trail is full of clues:

• Berry patches
• Muddy tracks
• Claw marks
• Bent grass
• S**t
• Lunch smells
• The sudden quiet that makes everyone listen

Somewhere in that same landscape, a bear may be solving one summer problem: Where is the easiest food, with the least risk?

The goal is not fear. The goal is fewer surprises, for campers and for bears.

Read the full blog:
https://obdk.com/blogs/obdk-blog/bear-aware-campers-what-kids-should-practice-before-the-summer-trail